Boston's cardinal not interested in pontifical post

Christine McConvilleWednesday, February 13, 2013

Credit: John Wilcox

Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley

Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley said he’s awed and humbled to be among the 118 Catholics who will select the next pope — but he’s not expecting any further honors when he joins the upcoming conclave of cardinals at the Vatican.

“I’ve bought a round-trip ticket, so I’m counting on coming home,” O’Malley joked at a press conference yesterday. “It’s a very challenging position, it’s a very lonely position, it’s a very difficult task, but we are there as cardinals to pray and encourage each other and know that someone needs to do it.

“It’s a great responsibility, and I’m trying to prepare myself for it emotionally,” O’Malley said, adding he’s not interested in the job.

On Monday, Pope Benedict XVI announced his plan to resign as of Feb. 28, the first pope to do so in nearly 600 years.

“I was as surprised as anyone else,” said O’Malley, who learned of the pope’s stunning plan while en route to 6:30 a.m. Mass.

The ideal next pope, he said, would have intellectual prowess, excellent communication and organizational skills “and be someone who can communicate the joy of living their faith and their vocation.”

It doesn’t matter to him where the next leader of the billion-member Catholic Church comes from.

“I grew up in a world where we thought that being Italian was a prerequisite, then all of a sudden, we had a Polish pope, then a German pope, so anything is possible,” he said.

After the pope’s official resignation, the church’s College of Cardinals will meet to select a successor.